Barbara B. Meyer

Utilizing exercise to affect the symptomology of fibromyalgia: a pilot study.

UNLABELLED Fibromyalgia (FM), a rheumatological disorder of unknown origin, is characterized by both physical and psychological symptoms. Although inconclusive results have been reported for most treatment modalities, exercise appears to have universal support for decreasing the myriad of symptoms associated with FM. Weaknesses in the literature, however, prevent conclusive statements regarding exercise prescription and concomitant impact on FM symptomology. PURPOSE The current pilot study attempted to examine the effect of a 24-wk walking program at predetermined intensities on FM. METHODS Initial design was a randomized control trial with high- and low-intensity exercise groups, and a control group. Subsequent nonrandomized control trials were based on actual exercise behavior. RESULTS No differences between initial groups were identified. By collapsing groups, heart rate (HR) decreased (P < 0.05) weeks 0-12. Functional impairments were reduced 54% weeks 0-24, with exercise having a large impact (omega2 = 0.30) on this decrease. By reassigning groups, impact of FM on current health status decreased in the low-intensity group (P < 0.05) and increased in the high-intensity group (P < 0.02) weeks 0-24. Omega squared indicated strong influence of exercise on pain (omega2 = 0.51), with greater pain in the high-intensity group. CONCLUSIONS A larger number of subjects and direct supervision of the training program to increase compliance is necessary to clarify the effects of a walking program on the manifestations of FM. Results indicate that intensity of the walking program is an important consideration. Individuals with FM can adhere to low-intensity walking programs two to three times per week, possibly reducing FM impact on daily activities.

Emotional Intelligence: A Theoretical Overview and Implications for Research and Professional Practice in Sport Psychology

Over the past five years, sport psychology researchers and practitioners have become increasingly vocal in their suggestions that emotional intelligence (EI) may be an important construct in the sport domain. Initial research in sport has been valuable for gaining preliminary insights, but use of disparate theoretical frameworks and assessment techniques confuses rather than clarifies potential links between EI and sport. Specifically, the use of different definitions, conceptualizations, and assessment inventories may yield different EI profiles of the same individual or team. This disparity has important implications for applied sport psychology, where there is a call for the use of theoretical paradigms, objective and subjective assessments, and empirical research to inform practice. The purposes of this paper, therefore, are to: (a) review EI models and assessment inventories; (b) review research on EI in business, health, and sport; and (c) identify directions for future research and professional practice in sport psychology.

Opportunity and Work Behavior in College Coaching

Opportunity for mobility and growth plays a large part in determining work behavior such as aspirations, satisfaction and work exit (Kanter, 1977). To have opportunity means to have many viable career and financial options, to have access to information on new job vacancies and to receive informal training. In this paper we explore the gendering of opportunity and of work behavior in Division I college coaching. The sample consisted of 947 coaches who responded to a questionnaire. Opportunity was assessed through access to positions, opportunities for income, channels to job information and frequency of feedback from supervisors. Career aspiration degree of satisfaction and likelihood of exit were the measures of work behavior. The results indicated that the work behaviors of the sample were those of people in low opportunity jobs and that the opportunities for women in college athletics were more circumscribed than those for men. The results were discussed in the context of Kanters (1977) theory of gendered work behavior in male dominated organizations.

Qualitative Data Analysis: A Procedural Comparison

Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software (CAQDAS) was developed for the purpose of creating efficient modes of qualitative data analysis (Fielding & Lee, 1998). Despite these developments, many social scientists continue to advocate manual data analysis techniques (Hammersley & Atkinson, 1995). Given the rapid development of computerized methods of data analysis amid the continued call for the use of naturalistic inquiry in sport psychology research, the aim of this research note was to compare manual and computerized data analysis techniques. Results highlight the advantages, disadvantages, and commonly held assumptions of the use of CAQDAS.

When sibling becomes competitor: a qualitative investigation of same-sex sibling competition in elite sport.

Over the past several years, sibling competition in sport has received ever-increasing attention in the popular press (Haugh, 2004; Lewis, 2004). Since researchers have yet to examine this phenomenon, the purpose of the current study was to examine the psychological factors associated with on-field competition against a sibling. Using semi-structured interviews, a sample of ten elite athletes shared their experiences and perceptions regarding the similarities and/or differences between sibling and non-sibling competition. Eight participants indicated that competition against a sibling was different from competition against unrelated opponents. These differences manifested themselves in three themes (i.e., affective responses to sibling competition, level of emotional involvement, sibling cooperation), and are discussed in relation to the scientific and applied literature in family dynamics and sport psychology. Participant responses offer valuable insight into the unique experiences of sibling competitors, providing beneficial information for parents, coaches, and sport psychology consultants.

Functional Movement Screen Factorial Validity and Measurement Invariance Across Sex Among Collegiate Student-Athletes

Abstract Gnacinski, SL, Cornell, DJ, Meyer, BB, Arvinen-Barrow, M, and Earl-Boehm, JE. Functional Movement Screen factorial validity and measurement invariance across sex among collegiate student-athletes. J Strength Cond Res 30(12): 3388–3395, 2016—The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) is a screening tool used to evaluate functional movement quality and subsequent musculoskeletal injury risk. Despite recent research on the factorial validity of the FMS, no confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) has been conducted to examine measurement invariance across sex among student-athletes. The primary purpose of the current study was to confirm the factor structure of the FMS measurement model in a collegiate student-athlete population. It was hypothesized that the 1-factor model would demonstrate better model fit than the recently proposed 2-factor model. The secondary purpose of the study was to examine FMS measurement invariance across sex using the previously identified measurement model. It was hypothesized that FMS measurement invariance would hold across sex. Male (n = 88) and female (n = 88) collegiate student-athletes completed FMS screening during the off-season. Factorial validity was examined using CFA procedures, and model parameters were estimated using maximum likelihood estimation. Measurement invariance was examined by comparison of fit indices between hierarchically constrained models. Results revealed support for both the 1- and the 2-factor models; however, the 2-factor model failed to fit the data significantly better than the 1-factor model. Results also indicated that measurement invariance did not hold across sex, indicating that the FMS sum score construct is not measured equivalently in male and female populations. Collectively, results provide evidence for the use of the unidimensional FMS sum score among collegiate student-athletes, yet prompt caution because it relates to the evaluation of sex differences in sum or movement pattern scores.

The Equivalence of Online and Paper-Pencil Measures of Emotional Intelligence

Improved access to the Internet along with technological advances in hardware and software are prompting social scientists to move their research pursuits from the laboratory into cyberspace. While evidence suggests that online research is equivalent if not superior to traditional offline (i.e., paper-pencil [PP]) methods (Buchanan & Smith, 1999; Campos et al., 2011; Lonsdale et al., 2006; Meyerson & Tryon, 2003; Naus et al., 2009; Preckel & Thiemann, 2003), caution is urged in summarily generalizing research methods and results from one format to another. To address one of the key limitations of Internet research (i.e., measurement error), scholars have begun to examine the reliability and validity of online test formats. In studies of matched or paired samples who completed electronic and PP measures of various psychological constructs (e.g., personality, burnout, intellectual giftedness), results suggest comparable psychometric properties, factor structure, and outcomes across the data collection methods (Buchanan & Smith, 1999; Campos et al., 2011; Lonsdale et al., 2006; Meyerson & Tryon, 2003; Naus et al., 2009; Preckel & Thiemann, 2003).

Examining the Merit of Grit in Women's Soccer: Questions of Theory, Measurement, and Application

The purpose of the current study was to examine the factorial validity of existing grit measures and to examine differences in the grit level of athletes across performance tiers (i.e., collegiate, professional, Olympic). Female soccer players (N = 305) of varying competitive levels completed measures of grit. Results revealed preliminary support for the 8-item Grit Scale factorial validity, as well as a significant age-adjusted difference in grit level between Division I and Division II collegiate athletes. Taken together, study results prompt questions regarding the theoretical underpinnings, and consequent measurement, of the grit construct in sport psychology practice.

Factorial validity and measurement invariance of the Perceived Susceptibility to Sport Injury scale

The Perceived Susceptibility to Sport Injury (PSSI) scale is a measure that has recently surfaced in the sport injury literature. The factor structure of the PSSI scale has not been subjected to a rigorous factor analysis; thus, the factorial validity of the measure in athlete populations is unknown. To establish the validity of the PSSI scale in sports medicine research, the purpose of this study was to examine the factor structure and measurement invariance across gender of the PSSI scale. Male and female intercollegiate athletes (N = 217) completed the PSSI scale during the off‐season. The factor structure was analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) procedures and maximum likelihood estimation. The measurement invariance analysis was conducted via comparisons of fit indices within a series of hierarchically constrained models. Results of the CFA yielded a very good fit of the measurement model: χ2 (2) = 4.535, P = 0.104; RMSEA = 0.076; SRMR = 0.018; CFI = 0.995; NNFI = 0.985. Results of the measurement invariance analysis demonstrated strict invariance across gender, and no significant latent mean differences emerged between men and women. Study results support the factorial validity of the PSSI scale for use in future sports medicine research.